The present invention relates to a sanitary napkin, and more particularly to a sanitary napkin having a far-infrared functional component provided therein to beneficially affect a user""s physiological condition through far-infrared effects produced by the far-infrared functional component.
It is known that far-infrared rays are a kind of electromagnetic waves having wavelength within the range from 4 to 400 micrometers. The far-infrared rays are characterized by the inherent radioactivity, penetrating ability, and ability of resonant absorption. It has been medically proven that far-infrared rays within a certain wavelength range are capable of producing heat effect as a result of the action of resonant absorption between a far-infrared material and a human body, and this heat effect causes a raised temperature at an area deep under the skin, expanded capillaries and enhanced circulation to remove obstacles, such as bruise, in the metabolism, revitalize body organization, and stimulate the formation of enzymes. All of these medical effects on the human body by the far-infrared rays indicate that the far-infrared rays indeed have positive influences on improved metabolism and are therefore physiologically beneficial to the human body.
There are also many studies proving that ceramic material is a radioactive body that need not have any particular heat source but the human body temperature to provide the same far-infrared effect. As a result, the ceramic material has been known as a non-expensive and good far-infrared functional component. The radioactive ceramic material in the form of superfine powder is most preferable for use and can be doped with various kinds of metal oxide depending on actual need. The ceramic material and every other added materials are heated to a temperature about 1600xc2x0 C. to produce the above-mentioned superfine powder. Such superfine powder of ceramic material can be effectively transferred onto articles made of other materials by different ways. For example, when the superfine powder of ceramic material is mixed with a painting material, the resultant mixture is a far-infrared functional component that may be printed or coated on the surface of general articles, such as different types of cloth, and then the cloth can be processed to make, for example, bed sheet, underwear, socks, etc. Or, the resultant mixture may be added into other materials for making other products, such as insulating cushion, flooring, etc. Since all the previously illustrated articles and/or products containing ceramic material are frequently used in our daily life to contact with our skin, the far-infrared functional component thereof would have good far-infrared effects on our body to improve our physiological conditions.
A sanitary napkin is a product having close relation with most women. Conventionally, the sanitary napkin has only one basic function of absorbing body fluids. Most efforts made to improve the sanitary napkin are focused on its structural design in order to make it more air-permeable and comfortable in contact with a user""s skin without giving too much help in improving the user""s physiological conditions. It would therefore be beneficial to women if the sanitary napkin were provided with a far-infrared functional component to move beyond its original and only function of absorbing body fluid and to effectively reduce some uncomfortable conditions, such as bellyache and waist sores accompanying with menses.
It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide a sanitary napkin having far-infrared effects. The sanitary napkin of the present invention includes a far-infrared functional component disposed in the sanitary napkin at a suitable position, preferably a position between a middle water-absorbent layer and a lower water-impermeable bottom layer of the sanitary napkin, so that the far-infrared functional component has direct and helpful far-infrared effects on the user""s skin and lower belly that contacting with and close to the sanitary napkin, respectively, and therefore makes the sanitary napkin physiologically useful to the user.